The
seniors on the West Jordan High School boys soccer team had won two games in
their entire high school careers. The team never gave up and tasted some
success this season.

“I
am extremely pleased with the boys and their efforts this season,” Jaguars head
coach Tao Tran said. “They have worked extremely hard and have played extremely
well. We had some great games and a great season. Our freshman finally became
seniors and matured and finally understood what we wanted to do. Mostly they
had a great desire to do something different this year.”

The
start of the season seemed to be destined to repeat the past. An opening match
0-0 tie with Herriman and losses to Box Elder, 3-0, and Desert Hills, 1-0, made
the team think it was headed toward another rough season.

That’s
when things changed. Shazer Sloan scored the team's first goal of the season
against Hunter. Then senior Logan Brinton held tight in goal and secured a
shutout. The Jaguars captured a 1-0 win over Hunter. The victory was the team's
first in three years.

“It
felt good to win,” Brinton said. “We really did not know what it was like until
this year. Our last game of the season (a 2-1 loss to Copper Hills) was
disappointing, but we had a great season.”

The
team's initial win vaulted them to another, a 3-2 victory over Riverton. Senior
Jojea Kwizera notched all three goals for the Jaguars. They overcame a 2-1
deficit before earning the hard-fought win.

“The
nine seniors were the leaders of the team,” Tran said. “They played and worked together.
They knew this was their last year together, and they started off prepared.”

Brinton
recorded four shutouts, a school record. Tran said he could not have done it
without his teammates.

“He
is one of the keys that made the difference, but there were many players that
all played important roles,” he said. “It is not about one player; it is about
the entire team doing a great job. It is about the balance of the team coming
together at the right time.”

The
Jaguars’ playoff hopes came down to the final match of the season against crosstown
rival Copper Hills. West Jordan held a 1-0 lead at halftime, but Copper Hills
mounted a furious comeback and tied the game on a goal that sneaked past the
Jaguars. A late-game Grizzly free kick secured their victory.

The
loss meant the team fell just short of a playoff appearance.

“We
have called Region 3 the region of death; it is a tough region,” Tran said. “There
are excellent teams—very fast and technically very good. The momentum
definitely swung to our opponents in the final game. They had some energy.”

Kwizera
led the team with nine goals. He had two hat tricks (three goals in a single
game), the first against Riverton and the second against Taylorsville.

“It
was the right mix of players this season,” Tran said. “We had good defense,
good midfield and good forwards. The passion and desire they had was unbelievable.
They wanted to win. Last year, we had no wins, but they had a desire to
progress, and it paid off this year. The desire and dedication is incredible. I
appreciate them very much.”